Oh such highs and lows…

We arrived to Gayla quite early this morning. The arena looked beautiful all set up with everyones chairs and breakfast being prepared. The vendors were setting up and the longsides were covered with the sponsors banners. We were able to handwalk around the arena in the morning to relax the horses. Guilliani was quite nervous, so we introduced him to the area and then took him back to his stall for his breakfast and braiding. The first rides started at 10am and it was non-stop from then on. Each rider worked on the same concept of speed control and bending. At noon, lunch was brought in for Edward, the riders and the auditors. It looked beautiful and quite tasty! Guilliani was the first ride after lunch. We brought him in about 10 minutes before 1pm to warm-up. As soon as I was on him, I knew that I had no horse left. He had worked himself so hard the day before being excited in his new surroundings that he was just too worn out to work the day after his arrival to the farm. The first 25 minutes of our ride was very nice. We worked on keeping him straight as he passed “distracting” objects and making his extended trot and canter even bigger. After a short break, we worked on over collecting the canter and pushing it back out in various places of the arena. He felt very tired, but still worked hard for me. After his second break… he was finished. He continued to try, but lacked much of a response to the aids. Edward understood that he just could not be pushed any longer and we ended with some quick transitions from walk to trot and trot to canter.

I was not disappointed with Guilliani although we were not able to take full advantage of our ride. He tried very hard for me despite being truly tired and was very brave in an exciting atmosphere. He did a complete turn around in attitude from how nervous he was when he first entered the arena the day we arrived to the confident horse that I was able to ride during the clinic.

That is the risk a professional takes in deciding to bring a young or inexperienced horse to a very important one day clinic. Would I have changed my mind if I was able to see the outcome before hand? Not a chance! I had a blast riding my young horse in front of the best rider in the world and I think he did too.

What a day!

After a wonderfully quiet trip to Georgetown, Kentucky we arrived to the beautiful facilities of the Gayla Driving Center. Dana greeted us and was more than welcoming showing Guilliani to his comfortable, roomy stall right away. As soon as we unpacked, the riders, trainers, grooms and owners were invited into the indoor arena for a meeting. We were all brought up to date on the schedule, format and information pertaining to the clinic tomorrow. Let me start off by saying that Kelly, Vicki, Dana, Lindsey and everyone else involved in putting this clinic together (Team Engaged and all of the volunteers) are beyond fantastic to work with. They all went above and beyond to ensure that Guilliani and I had a successful schooling session. I cannot say enough about the atmosphere they produced. They are all wonderful people who deserve much thanks for all they have done. Thank you all.

So once the meeting was wrapped up, we took Guilliani out to the lunging area. He was quite high to say the least, but was extremely obedient. We then took him into the indoor. He was very distracted by the seating, tables and flowers, so I did what any daughter of an extremely successful horsewoman would do… I handed her the lunge line! She slowly lunged Guilliani around the sights until he was relaxed and concentrated. She actually stole the show as she followed Guilliani down the longside in her own ”extended trot”! Once she felt he was ready, I climbed aboard my wonderful boy and had a fabulous ride! Not only did everyone allow us to school in the indoor, but they also helped introduce Guilliani to the sound system. It was a great experience for all of us.

The other riders all had successful rides and seem very excited for tomorrows event. Did I mention we get to have dinner with Edward Gal as well? I will have a very hard time sleeping tonight. I feel like I am waiting for Christmas morning!

Till tomorrow….

Hello everyone!

By tomorrow evening, Guilliani, my mother and I will be at the Gayla Driving Center in Lexington, Kentucky preparing to ride with Dutch Superstar Edward Gal. Early this season, Kelly Gage from Engage Clinics contacted my mother and I to see if we were interested in riding in this prestigious event. Unfortunately, my mothers horse was injured preventing her from taking advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity, so it would just be me and Guilliani attending. If you would have told me a few years ago that I would be chosen to ride with the top dressage rider in the world, I would never have believe it. This is such a honor to be able to ride in front of such an amazing competitor. Edward Gal needs no introduction to riders who follow the international dressage scene. He was wildly successful on the KWPN stallion Lingh and now holds every record imaginable on his newest sensation Totlias. This stunning young stallion is simply mind blowing to watch. Edward manages to get absolutely every ounce of brilliance and expression out of Totilas, while remaining relaxed and giving a look of ease that I never thought possible. Totilas is an extraordinary animal, but I dont think any of it would be possible without Edwards talent as a rider, trainer and competitor.

So after knowing all of this, the next few days feel a little nerve wracking to me to say the least! Tomorrow we will arrive at the Gayla Driving Center. I have never been to this venue, but I hear it is beautiful and bosts a 100′ by 200′ indoor arena with stadium seating. Hopefully, I will have time to lightly school Guilliani in the indoor tomorrow evening to get him comfortable in his new surroundings. Friday afternoon, all of the riders will be able to school in the indoor in preperation for Saturdays event. Our ride times have been posted and can be found on Truly Dancing Dressage’s FB Fanpage. Guilliani and I go at 11am. I am really looking forward to hearing Edwards thoughts and opinions on myself and my horse. One of the great things about taking advantage of a good clinic, is that before and after your ride, you can watch your fellow riders school their own horses. The more you watch…the more you learn. I think this will be an awesome learning experience for everyone attending.

I will give an update on how my first schooling session went… hopefully with pictures. The clinic will be recorded and photographed as well, so as soon as the media becomes available to me, I will post it on this blog. Pray for good weather, safe rides and a lot of fun!

Press Release:

“We are amazed at the response and the quality of riders that have come forth to ride with Edward,” says Kelly Gage, Partner of TEAM ENGAGED. Presented by Succeed, the exclusive one-day clinic on September 18th clinic at GAYLA DRIVING CENTER, Georgetown, Ky, will play host to FEI riders and their horses. “Gayla is a fantastic facility, and we feel incredibly appreciative of Debbie Banfield and her crew helping us host this high-profile event,” noted Vicky Esquivel, partner of Team EnGaged. “On behalf of Team EnGaged, I would like to thank our title sponsor Succeed and our other sponsors County Saddlery, Back on Track, Tempi Change Productions, Windschant LLC, Rancho Los Equestres, EquiChord, Holloa Away Dressage Ponies, Bobcat, Smartpak and many individuals who have made this and other educational events possible,” said Gage. “We would also like to thank Gayla Driving Center, who is graciously hosting this, and Debbie McDonald Clinic in April 2011.”Leading up to the announcement of Gal’s clinic, Team EnGaged hosted an online guessing contest via Facebook, first prize being a coveted auditing pass to the event. Giving out monthly clues until the end of May, it received over 100 entries per clue. The winner was Karen Taylor of West Lafayette, In.

“To me it is a tremendous opportunity to watch one of the world’s greats. I am extremely grateful and you better bet I am going to take lots of notes!” said Taylor. Since the public announcement, more than half of the 50 auditing spot have filled. “Since the response has been so over-whelming we have entered into negotiations alongside EquiChord for the production for online programming,” said Gage. World and FEI champion Edward Gal (NED) is the current world’s leading rider on Mooreland’s Totilas and is ranked number one in the FEI dressage standings.

Team EnGaged Clinics are professionally hosted equestrian events based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Started in 2008, with the idea of bringing highly available, premium education to the region. It quickly progressed to an encompassing thought of rider-centric education that incorporates community participation. The goal of the group is to bring equestrian education through world class clinicians and premium facilities. Team EnGaged believes that education is the foundation of all progression and continually strives to provide educational opportunities for all who wish to learn.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of a horse show morning. No matter how sly

you try to be, the minute you enter the barn, the horses always know that something is

different. I really love this feeling. I have always looked for ways to make show days

as simple as possible. Keeping to a well planned out schedule, can take alot of stress

out of a competition and give you time to concentrate on more important things.

There are certain things that should be worked out before you leave for the show. If

you are staying overnight, make sure you confirm your hotel reservation for late check

in. Also, contact you trainer and have a definite lesson schedule according to your ride

times for each day. I have a student whose friend does not have a full time trainer and

she contacted my about getting some “touch up” lessons before her class at several of

the horse shows that I will attend. This is a great idea.

If you have more than one horse and need to leave one at home, be sure to have a

trustworthy person that can come in to feed and check-in on the horses that you have

to leave at home. If you board your horses, make sure the barn knows that you will not

be coming for the weekend and that way they can adjust your horses turn-out or work

schedule to accommodate your absence.

Once you are on the way to the show, think about what you are going to do first. I

like to prepare my stalls and unload the horses right away. If you have a tack stall, you

should unload all of your tack, feed and shavings while your trailer is still close to your

stalls. Once you find a place to park your trailer, you can do a quick clean up so it is all

ready for the drive home.

The earlier you can get to the show office for your show packet and numbers, the

better. While your there, be sure to check for updated or revised ride times and ask if

you are allowed to hand walk around the competition arenas. Some of the show venues

will let you school your horse around the outside of the competition arenas. This is can

be a great way to get your horse accustomed to the area in which he will be competing.

There is usually a window of time that you are allowed to do this, so be sure to give

yourself enough time to be tacked up and ready to get on during this time. Contact the

show management to see when and if you are allowed to do this.

During your schooling session, try to lightly cover the required movements for the

next days test. If your horse is obedient, don’t drill him. The less you push your horse,

the better he will look and feel the next day.

After your ride, you will need to prepare for the next day. Be sure to fully cool out

and groom your horse and have his mane ready to be braided either that night or the

next morning. I always feed dinner a bit earlier in the evening, to give my horses more

time for rest. After the horses are finished, go over all of your tack. Have your saddle,

pads, bridle, boots and show clothes ready for action the next day. Once all of this is

done, head to the hotel. Be sure to get plenty of sleep and eat healthy. If your tired or

feeling bad from a heavy dinner the night before, it can really effect your performance

on show day.

When you get to the show the next morning, have a definite plan of when you will

need to braid, change into your show clothes, when you will start to get your horse

tacked up and when you plan to get on. Stick to this plan. If your ride it later in the day,

go out to the competition arenas and watch some rides at your level. Look over your

test and try to have it memorized. If you still need a reader, have a general idea of

what will be coming next and how you will be preparing for it. Another thing to consider,

is taking your horse for several walks during the day. The more he can get out of the

stall the better. Mentally and physically. Remember, if you take your horse out to

school under saddle at a time other than your class warm-up, be sure to give the riders

warming up for their classes the right away. Once you are in the ring, always follow

proper ring manners. All of the “rules” for the warm-up ring are printed in the back of

your USDF Handbook, but remember the basics, such as……

~ Always pass left shoulder to left shoulder.

~ Only lunge in designated areas.

~ Be careful when using a whip or your voice. Watch how it effects others.

~ If you ride an upper level horse or a horse with an imposing presence,

be sure to avoid frightening young or sensitive horses and riders.

~ The horse/rider combination doing the more advanced movement has the

right away. Example: If someone is walking on the rail and you are coming

at them in a shoulder-in in trot, you will have the right away. But if you are

doing working canter circles and someone is using the diagonals for tempi

changes, they will have the right away.

~ During your test, if you drop your whip, your hat falls off or your horse knocks

over a portion of the ring, leave it. There is nothing you can do about it until

your test is over.

Always think about what you are doing and how it will affect the horses and riders

around you. You never know if one of the horses in the schooling ring is extremely

nervous and might bolt away from the sheet you just tossed over the rail. Try to keep

in mind what you would want people to avoid doing while you are riding, and do the

same for everyone else.

After your test is done, be sure to thank the judge. When you get your results, go

over the marks to check your score. It is the riders responsibility to check his or her

test for errors. According to USDF rules, you have 60 minutes from the time your class

is posted to check and turn in a scoring error. It rarely happens, but show management

will appreciate you bringing it to their attention within a short amount of time. This will

make it easier for the problem to be corrected.

Well I hope this helps you to have a safe and successful show season. If you are

new to competing, go to some shows and watch how everyone does their own stuff.

Everyone seems to have their own system that works for them. There are many really

knowledgeable and easy to talk to professionals in our area that would be happy to

give you some of their own tips to make shows fun and easy. Happy riding!

Everything seems to be a bit more difficult in the cold weather. From the mud and lack of sun to the often treacherous driving conditions, just getting out to the barn can be quite a task. This year we are lucky enough to have a winter that is slow to start, but do not fear, the cold weather and snow are just around the corner.

This is a great time to start thinking about the different ways that you can keep your horse as comfortable as possible during the next few months. If you are planning on keeping your horse fit and working throughout the winter months, it is probably a good idea to consider body clipping and blanketing. This is a great way to speed up the cooling down and drying period after your work out. Making sure that your horse is dry before returning him to his stall for the evening is extremely important. Even a little bit of dampness can cause your horse to become sick or even colic in extreme temperatures. It is good idea to have a routine for cooling your horse down after a work session. When the temperature dips below 30 degrees, I like to cover my horses back with a medium weight wool or polar fleece quarter sheet for the last 15 minutes of the ride. Covering their backs as you start the cooling down phase of your ride will help to slowly bring the core temperature back to normal as your horses pulse is slowly reduced. Once in the cross ties, I remove the quarter sheet and place a full size cooler over his back. As I remove the saddle, I pull the cooler over the withers and neck to fully cover my horses topline. After the saddle is put away and I put my jacket back on, I start towel drying my horses head and legs with a large dry towel. *Now is a good time to do your “post-ride” stretches before your horses muscles loose their suppleness.